Has anyone been induced and declined an Epi?

DericKelly · May 2011

For those of you that have had been in this situation, is it "doable" to be induced with pitocin and carry on your non-epi birth plan? I've heard that the pitocin makes things unbearable.

Lady713Luck · May 2011

I think that it is entirely possiable! I can't say anything on the subject from personal experience, I was never induced. I think it has alot to do with your state of mind. Everyone we ever talk to says it's impossiable to be induced wthout having an epi., so it's drilled into our brain! We are hardwired to subconsciously have doubts about our body being strong enough to endure induction. I believe the power of the mind over the body is the strongest, most reliable thing we women have when it comes to childbirth. If you trust in your body, stay RELAXED, and focus not on the pain, but on your baby being in your arms, it can be done! GL!!!!!

jaymiegerard · May 2011

That's how my MIL had my husband... she said it got intense, but she just kept telling herself, "I can do this a little longer...." and she did!

She also said the euphoria after he was born was unreal :-)

Xles10 · May 2011

I just posted about my experience with this. The post may be on page 2 by now of this board. I ended up getting an epi at 7 cm due to some additional circumstances. Despite this, I do think it's possible. In my case moving and usig various positions helped. The shower was awesome and I think if I had been allowed to use the tub I may have made it. Ask how the pit will administered. At my hospital they up it slowly until they reach a dose that gets the desired contraction pattern and then stop it at that number. Make sure they dont just crank it. Also depending on your cervix, cervidil alone could be enough to start labor. I also didn't want my water broken at the beginning because I didn't want to be on the clock and I preferred to use it later to help things progress if needed ( it ended up breaking on its own a few hours in).

jencastorri · May 2011

I was induced with my last 2 and I didnt get the epi with DD2. It is bad, but if you dont know any different, then whats the differance? Labor will be painful at some point no matter how you go about it.

rjveldman · May 2011

I delivered my DD at 9lbs. 8 oz after being induced with pitocin - epi free! It is doable - just remember that when you get to the point that you think you can't possibly do it any more - you're transitioning and you're baby is right around the corner (even if you are still not dilated). I spent almost 18 hours at 4 cm until I felt like I couldn't do it anymore - and then I went right into transition.

Pamela05 · May 2011

To me I don't know that it was the pitocin that was unbearable as much as being strapped to the bed between the pit drip, bp monitor for me and hr monitor for the baby. Once they had to switch to internal monitoring for the baby I had to give up because there was no way for me to move to get into a comfortable position. I was doing just fine before that if the nurses would just leave me alone.

abell77 · May 2011

I wasn't induced with pitocin, but with cytotec after it had been over 60 hours since my water broke and I was not having any contractions. I was able to manage it med free after that point. I obviously don't know anything different, but I am really looking forward to giving birth with no interventions this time to see if it makes a difference in how I am able to get through contractions.

sweetfern · May 2011

Sorry, I lurk on this board, but I thought I might be able to give you an idea. I was induced at 42 weeks with pitocin, I went in 3cm, 70% and having contractions on my own for the past 3 weeks. The contractions were very bearable until my water was broke around 5cm. After that, they became pretty intense, but they spaced out from 2-3min to 5 minutes. When I hit transition, the contractions were coming one right after another. I would literally be coming down from one and going into another with no time in between. I did ask for it because I was getting no rest period, but it was too late-for which I am very grateful since it was not what I wanted. Transition was definitely intense, but I did it. I felt amazing afterwards; I can't describe the feeling, but it was great.

flyer23 · May 2011

It does not make things unbearable. I was induced with Cervidil and Pitocin with DD, and went into labor naturally with DS. The contractions were the same with both. DD's labor was just longer -- that was the hard part, not the strength of each individual contraction.

AutumnBride929 · May 2011

Yes, it's aboslutely doable. Actually, I was induced with an amniotomy and then later augmented with Pitocin. It certainly made things more difficult but obviously not unbearable.

MissAmber23 · May 2011

You can do it. I was induced at 37 weeks for BP issues. I was on Pit from 6am on Wednesday until he was born at 1:45pm on Thursday (almost 32 hours). They turned up the pitocin slowly - and things didn't get difficult until about 12 hours after they started it. Sometime around 2am they gave me a shot of Nubain to allow me to get a little rest (but it didn't work). Anyway, it was rough but it's not impossible!

Cilley · May 2011

Yes, it happened to me. If you have never been through L&D before, you don't know the difference between regular or pitocin-induced contractions. That was my experience.

caruso_60 · May 2011

My friend had to be induced with pitocin because of toxemia and did not have an epidural. I was induced (no pit, just cervadil) and had no epidural. It's totally doable!

tx*mom · May 2011

I was induced with pit due to toxemia as well. Had very low platelet count and wasn't allowed to have an epi (even though I had planned on one). I wasn't at all mentally prepared for natural birth but still made it through. It is painful but you can do it.

citygirl22 · May 2011

I was induced 3 days before my due date (pre-eclampsia concern) at 10am and birthed DS at 4pm. I did not get the epi but after my water broke it was very intense, with no break in between waves. I'm hoping to avoid the induction this time and experience completely med-free.

Vixey529 · May 2011

I did it! They did start me off more slowly on the pitocin (so they said), so it may have made a difference? It was exhausting, but I did make it!!

GL to you!

MawrtyrB · May 2011

I heard that too but I was determined. Frankly it was fine and since I was in a much more natural friendly location, the support was great. It was my best birth. It hurt but things went very quickly. Actually I never made it into the delivery room with the twins which had it's own host of problems. I was begging them to turn down the pit right before I delivered but when things go fast, it feels unmanagable and it's easy to get scared. And I mean fast. The midwife checked me. I was 8 cm. She wasn't yet out the door and I screamed (SCREAMED) becuase all of a sudden i felt my body pushing. Before she could do anything Twin #1 just shot out on the bed. Nobody even caught the little guy becuase the midwife was still holding my leg.

If you're a puker, request the Reglan for nausea. Things get out of control quickly when you're puking. And I for one cannot breathe and puke at the same time, let alone "relax my body".

Cotton · May 2011

I had my 10-lb son that way! It wasn't easy by any means, but totally possible.

Good luck!

Elizabeth

BakerMommy · May 2011

I was induced with pit and did get an epidural--but there are a few things I wished I'd done to avoid it. The reason things got to be too much for me was that the monitor wasn't picking up my contractions correctly, so they kept turning up the pit. I wish I'd advocated more strongly for myself by requesting a different monitor (once I had my epi, they put in an internal monitor and turned the pit almost off since they could see how strong the contrax actually were) and asking each time they turned it up if it was truly necessary (I didn't write down the dosage instructions, so I couldn't question). Be ready to advocate for yourself (or have your DH ready to do so). You can totally do it!

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